memeorandum: Wolfowitz: Mission Accomplished? (Richard Cohen/The Huffington Post)

4:05 PM ET, April 14, 2007

Top Items:

Tony Mauro / LAW.com:

Justice Department's Independence 'Shattered,' Says Former DOJ Attorney — Since the day he arrived at the Department of Justice in February 2005, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has "shattered" the department's tradition of independence and politicized its operation more than any other attorney general in more than 30 years.

Discussion: Cliff Schecter

David Johnston / New York Times:

Gonzales Aide Suggested Replacements for Attorneys — A Justice Department e-mail released today shows that the former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales proposed replacement candidates for seven United States attorneys nearly a year before those prosecutors were fired …

Discussion: WSJ.com, Booman Tribune, Washington Post, Think Progress, Democratic Underground, AMERICAblog, The Carpetbagger Report and TPMmuckraker

Scott Shane / New York Times:
Political Résumé, Not Court, Stood Out for a Contender

Discussion: indict dick cheney, Norwegianity and The Heretik

Ari Shapiro / NPR:
Documents Show Justice Ranking U.S. Attorneys

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Sideshow and Little Thom's Blog

New York Times:
E-Mail Identified G.O.P. Candidates for Justice Jobs

Discussion: TalkLeft, Real Cities, The Carpetbagger Report, TPMmuckraker, The Heretik, TBogg, Washington Post, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Cliff Schecter

Tom Hamburger / Los Angeles Times:

Rove, others were warned to save e-mails — WASHINGTON — Karl Rove and other White House employees were cautioned in employee manuals, memos and briefings to carefully save any e-mails that might discuss official matters even if those messages came from private e-mail accounts, the White House disclosed Friday.

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and War and Piece

Washington Post:

White House E-Mail Mystery — e-mails is at that strange moment in the arc of a Washington uproar where it's not clear whether it will turn out to be scandal or sideshow. There was legitimate reason for the White House to seek to comply with Hatch Act strictures and separate political from official business.

Discussion: TPMCafe blogs

Brian Braiker / Newsweek:
A data-recovery specialist discusses whether missing White House …

Discussion: Brian Beutler

Washington Post:

Wolfowitz Dictated Girlfriend's Pay Deal — World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz personally dictated the terms under which the bank gave what it called his "domestic partner" substantial pay raises and promotions in exchange for temporarily leaving her job there during his tenure …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and DownWithTyranny!

Richard Cohen / The Huffington Post:

Wolfowitz: Mission Accomplished? — As Paul Wolfowitz is proving, it turns out all is not fair in love and war. Only war. Take a nation to war for spurious reasons and no one much complains. But arrange a raise for your girlfriend, and you get booed in the atrium of the World Bank and have to visibly sweat in public.

Discussion: A Tiny Revolution

Charlottesvillain / TigerHawk:

The Department of Peace — I haven't seen this widely reported but the Democrats are working to establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence. If I recall correctly, this was a plank in the platform of the ill fated Kucinich Presidential campaign of 2004.

Discussion: Argghhh!

Robin Wright / Washington Post:

U.S. Decides Against Freeing 5 Iranian Agents — Administration Resists Tehran's Pressure, State Department Recommendation — After intense internal debate, the Bush administration has decided to hold on to five Iranian Revolutionary Guard intelligence agents captured in Iraq …

Discussion: Democrats.com, The Blotter and Hot Air

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:

From the Courthouse to the White House — Fred Thompson auditions for the leading role. — A strange thing happened a few weeks back when I went to the Café Promenade at the Mayflower Hotel for an off-the-record interview with an unpaid adviser to the non-campaign of unannounced presidential candidate Fred Thompson.

Discussion: Power Line, Captain's Quarters, The Influence Peddler, JustOneMinute, Bill Hobbs and Associated Press

Sudarsan Raghavan / Washington Post:

Sunni Factions Split With Al-Qaeda Group — Rift Further Blurs Battle Lines in Iraq — Key Sunni militant groups are severing their association with al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni group that claims allegiance to the organization led by Osama bin Laden. The split could help isolate a primary foe …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Political Animal, Matthew Yglesias, Abu Aardvark and INSTAPUTZ

Thomas Joscelyn / Weekly Standard:
Who's Spinning Intel?

Discussion: The Corner and Captain's Quarters

New York Times:

In the Spotlight, the Politics of Buckling Up — As constituents and public officials wished Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey a full recovery from his injuries in a car accident, many were shaking their heads that someone who is so smart, and has so much to lose, would put himself at risk by apparently not wearing a seat belt.

Discussion: TigerHawk, The RBC, Associated Press and Making Light

Kathy Matheson / Associated Press:
Corzine may not have been buckled up — CAMDEN, N.J. …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Pam's House Blend, TigerHawk, The News Blog and Blue Crab Boulevard

Jesse McKinley / New York Times:

In a Filmdom Premiere, a Foe for Gore — The screening here on Thursday night had many elements of a classic film-world shindig. There were gift bags and television cameras, cold cocktails and hot popcorn. Ushers showed V.I.P.'s to their seats, and local politicos rubbed shoulders with the movie's backers and flacks.

Discussion: Power Line

Ken Kolker / MLive.com:

Snow won't dampen global-warming rallies — The weather forecast for Saturday's global warming rallies in Grand Rapids and Holland calls for snow and cold rain and temperatures in the 40s — about 10 degrees below normal. — For some, this might make global warming a tough sell.

Discussion: Instapundit.com and Clayton Cramer's BLOG

Media Matters for America:

Drudge falsely claimed Soros funds Media Matters — Internet gossip Matt Drudge has claimed that Media Matters for America is a "Soros operation." — In fact, Media Matters has never received funding from progressive philanthropist George Soros. — Post a new comment

Discussion: Winds of Change.NET, The Impolitic, Macsmind and Pam's House Blend

Bob Geiger:

The Saturday Cartoons — I'm very happy to announce that editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent, of the Austin American-Statesman, has given me permission to run his work and we lead our cartoon round-up today with some of his work. — Ben won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1982 …

SilentPatriot / Crooks and Liars:

The Daily Show: Will Nancy Grace Apologize to Duke Lacrosse Players? — Jon Stewart hits Nancy Grace hard for her insensitive coverage of the Duke lacrosse case. Charges were dropped against the three teens yesterday. Will she apologize or take a convenient vacation? Watch and see...

Discussion: 14 WFIE, The Tri-State's … and JustOneMinute